Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-07-28
BUcHANAh's ESCAPE.

strange story OF an Army 0aieer Re.
lattye to q Rtot to hssassiaate Presi- :
dent Buchanan.
Saratoga On. ~ special: Jefferson
Davis recent reference TO the two at
tempts that were made to assassinate him
when he was the president of the southern
5confederaey was the SUBJECT of interest
last Sunday in group OF army veterans
on the piazza of Saratoga hotel. In
the course of the evening o statement
was made by one of the speakers there,
which has never till now been put in
print, about q plot that was once laid to
assassinate president who is supposed
to have passed through his term of Of
fee without d shadow of danger.
Besides the cases of Garfield and
Iincoln,p he said. there was cen
spiracy against President Lincoln S
Predecessor in the white house, James
Buchanan. The plot was Matched dur
ing President Buchanan's term, in the
year 1853, in Kansas. where was then
serving under the gallant GensSnmnsE
during the border troubles. You can
hardly conceive the intensity of the
hatred for Mr.. Buchanan that was
felt by the Kansas abelitionists.
1t seethed and ragged in their
breasts and seemed to be un-
quenchable. He was held to be the au-
thor OF ell the crimes charged against
the Border Rufiins," and ell the blood
shed that kept the settlers OF the newly
opened territory in an uproar. To hear
Gen. lin Lame, who subsequently be-
came senator and committed suicide,
after he had slain his adversary Capt.
Jenklns), declaim against Buchanan at
the meetings of the armed squatters
was to have your passions wrought up
to madness. In such state of thinge
| as matter OF course, there were des-
perate men who felt that If Buchanan
could be nude away with Kansas wonld
fall into the hands OF the abohtionists.
Ihe plot, said, wes hutched in Law
renee. A sum OF money wes raised to
carry 1t out and musclar, hard-drink.
ing desperate who was copoerned IN it
offered to become the exeontloner. In
the spring of 1858 this man made trip
to Washington to see the lay of the
land, as it were, ard TO prepare for
Post4hB i2iEO GAL OCb bt6 IuuEu6TOuS QSblQD
He returned to Kansas in less than
month end reported to his associates
in the plot that the job would be an
| easy one; that Buchanan could be reach
ed without trouble, as he was in the
! habit of ioitering in the grounds about
the white house, and that he had seen in
Washington gunsmith's an cir gun
which was just the thing needed, and
hnt hoy !, =:
cape after the fall of his victim and get
back to Kansas. He was assured OF
protection as soon as he got there,
after the execution, Of his design.
The plot ripened. The day for the deed
was approaching. The Desperate dranI
heavily az he bided his time In Lawrence
A slight incident that came under my
| notice, and few words that overheard
one day, put me on the scent; and
when communicated them to Gen
Summer ct Fort Riley, / was put or
special duty to keep lookout, and soon
found myself employed as barkeeper fol
Winchells salocn on Main street, then
called Massachusetts street, in Lawren moe
After midnight of one Saturday the
knot OF plotters were in the rear room
of that saloon around @ bottle of good
rye whisky, behind q locked door. ]
learned their game, and on the follow
ing. Monday threw up my place as
barkeeper. left town. The facts
| were communicated to the proper quar-,
ter. and was assigned to the duty thai
was thus made necessary. Some time
IN April | got information that the des,
perado was at Leavenwofth. Wereach
ed Washington almost simultaneously
From that time he was under
| my eye. Within two days
he visited the old Germans gun shop
examined the air gun which he had pre-
vi0usly seen, and which he purchased
for twenty five dollars It was put hi It'll
case and sent to his quarters, whict
were within gupshot Of the grounds o.
the white house. That afternoon MIR
buchanan was warned land that nigh
the man, who had aseertaine d had been
fugitive from Justice, was arrested upon
on Indictment for felony he had com
mitted two years before in the DistrIc
of Columbia. My business wss ended
The man was speedily brought to tYia
on the old Indictment, convicted ant
sentenced to four years in the Alban,
/ penitentiary. Before he haa served ou
his term Mr.. Buchanan had left th,
4 white honse, Abraham Lincoln held th
fort, and the country was under th
cloud OK war. The man was a wrecl
when he came from the penitentiary
He died soon afterward.'
4 .Why have you never told these fact
before 2 was asked the veteran on th
piazzaof the Saratoga hotel when b
had concluded his startling narration.
For tie same reason perhaps" b
l-~ I..l lsza r. N